here as a president but also as a father. that's something he referenced on a fridfriday. he said he was watching this in horror like so many parents across the nation and that's why i think we saw him get so emotional. we don't see a lot of emotion from this president, but on friday we certainly did, think not only because the victims were so young but because in his words we have gone through this as a nation so many times, this level of tragedy where you have a mass shooting in a community and so many lives taken. so i think that on friday it bubbled over for him. >> this has provoked a call to action. >> reporter: yes. >> a little earlier we were looking at joe lieberman and he has called for a commission on violence. we heard from dianne feinstein who was talking about a renewed conversation for gun control. i don't expect this will be a night for him to address policy. >> i don't think he'll be addressing policy tonight, chris. you're absolutely right we expect him to speak for about 10 to 15 minutes and i'm told by

sources in the white house this speech is really going focus on the families, on the victims, and on delivering words that can help this community begin to heal. president obama did seem to make a reference to policy on friday though. he said that this is a reminder that it is now time to take meaningful action. what does that actually mean, we'll have to wait and see. but if you look back at some of the president's past comments, his policies when it comes to gun control, he has advocated reinstating the ban on assault weapons, better background checks and those types of things and also preventive measures for people suffering from mental illness. and so will this administration try to put legislation on the table? we'll have to wait and see but a lot of democrats as you pointed out are calling on him to do that, to take real action in the wake of this. >> we have seen this before. this is the fourth time he's had to console in situations of a mass shooting. there is something so deeply

moving about this because of the first graders, and we've started to see some of the faces, even the videos of these 6- and 7-year-olds, and you wonder if that's part of his motivation for feeling he wanted to write this speech himself and, of course, addressing not just the people here but addressing his nation. >> reporter: i think that you're right about that. he wrote this speech largely himself, and i think that that was certainly part of his motivation. i expect that we will hear his voice as a father come through quite strongly this evening, but i think that this has got to be tough right now. he's inside meeting with the families who are suffering so greatly. you know. you've been here for so many days. even the people who didn't lose a loved one in this community are in so much shock still and so much grief. you can see it in their lives. so many people walking around with tears in their eyes and shocked expression.

this community has really had its heart broken and so i think that certainly that will be expressed in his comments tonight. he is speaking for the entire nation. this has become an ail too familiar task. again, this is his fourth time doing this. last summer it was aurora, colorado. last year it was tucson, arizona, and in 2009 ft. hood, texas. so this is not the first time the president has had to serve in this role as comforter in chief and helping a community heal. >> and, again, still in with those families and first responders. kristen welker, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. >> reporter: thanks, chris. >> let's go to miguel almaguer who's at the sandy hook firehouse. he's been responding to the first responders. good evening, miguel. >> reporter: good evening, chris. the first respoernlds were at the school moments after the 911 call came in. it took them just minutes to

make their way into the school. of course, they saw the most horrific things that any human could see. some of the first responders said this was, of course, a difficult tragedy because of the large number of children that were involved in it. of course, many of these first responders knew these children, they had kids who were their same children's age, very much touched by this tragedy here in their backyard. they've been coping with it since the day it happened, friday. so many of them remain on the job, still working, taking part in the investigation, many of them, as you know, chris, are meeting with the president tonight. >> yeah. i was so struck when i first got here and there was somebody guarding a checkpoint and kind of a big burly guy who looked very strong and i said to him, we're so sorry for what happened to your community, and, you know, he almost broke down, and my thought is how are the rescue workers dealing with this? and i assume that they have access to counseling and are

obviously being supportive of one another? >> yeah. these guys that we spoke to, for the most part, they've been leading the press conferences and said they are still very shaken by what they've seen. they've decided as a group, a unit, to not speak to the media. they say part of the grieving process may be opening up to what they saw down the road but right now they're certainly still grieving. they have several services that are being offered to them. many of them are seeing grief counselors, have been seeing them since the time of the incident but they say it entails seeing these tough moments. this is what they say is part of their job. this tragedy while know one expected it to happen is part of what comes with being a first responder. it wasn't just firefighters and police officers but we spoke to a nurse who was off duty who heard about the shooting, ran here to the scene, helped escort some of those children away from the school and here to this

firehouse behind me. so so many people in this community, if they weren't responder, whether they were police or firefighters, there were other first responders in this neighborhood who decided to come and help. all of them touched by the tragedy. all of them meeting with the president, sharing their stories. again, a group here who have come together. some of those are seeing grief counselors trying to cope with this tragedy, chris. >> and i think you kind of touched on this. but i wonder, are they even getting any sleep? i'm here for my third day, and, you know, morning and night i'm seeing so many of the same faces. they're all working such long hours and i think as you pointed out so rightly, they're members of this community, they have been touched by this. their families have been touched by this. their children, many of them go to that school. are they getting any relief at all? >> reporter: it's certainly difficult. they have been given the time off if they've wanted it but they certainly find strength in numbers and being with one another and being with the men

and women who went through that front door with one another. actually earlier today we saw firefighters and police officers bringing flowers and tributes, teddy bears to the memorial that's behind us. it's one of the larger memorials open to the public. they have taken part in those services. they are, of course, grieving with their own families. the lieutenant we spoke to earlier today said many of the first responders have young children, the same age as the children killed in this shooting, so this certainly hits close to home. if they didn't know somebody directly involved they feel very much a part of this. it's a very deep tragedy for everyone in this community. they're coping with it tonight as well. >> thank you so much, miguel almaguer, who is at that fire station where so many of the parents learned the tragic news that chair children would not be coming home. nbc's anne thompson is here. she suspect the day speaking with residents of newtown.

anne, thank you for coming over. >> reporter: hi, chris. >> i have been describing the mood here as a heaviness. there is a feeling here that is so profoundly deeply sad. it's almost hard to put into words. >> reporter: you know, i was talking with one resident tonight and she said, we're just numb. we don't know what to feel. and i was -- i talked to another woman today who said she said merry christmas for the first time since this happened today and she said her first reaction was guilt. how can i say merry christmas when 20 children between the ages of 6 and 7 were gunned down? and i think that's what they are struggling with here. and they're also struggling with the idea that this is -- people moved here because it's an idyllic community, if you will. >> it's beautiful. >> reporter: it is gorgeous. absolutely beautiful. they moved here because of the quality of life. there's lots of space. the schools are very, very good.

they wanted to be out of the hustle and bustle of the city and in a rural, very pretty section of new england. and now they're confronted with something they thought would never, ever, ever happen here. and by one of their own. >> and i was talking several times today about an image that struck me this morning. i'm sure you've seen downtown this memorial that has sprung up, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger. it's cold and it's been raining and people have been parking a far distance away and walking to lay flowers and i saw a little boy about the age of the victims. could have been a classmate. he was in his sunday best. he had on a tie and his dad was holding his hand with an umbrella and he had a bouquet almost as big as he was and they were walking down the street. and i wonder if there are images that struck you. >> reporter: yeah. i'm struck by the fact that people don't know what to do. they really don't know what to do.

we watched people go to church, whether it was mass at st. rose or the methodist church. there was sunday school at the synagogue. and people are just walking around in a daze, really, really struggling with how to do it. some people have put up signs, "hug a teacher." i mean the one thing that has come crystal clear through this is those teachers, those who lived and those who died are absolute heroes. they knew what to do. they protected those children with their very lives, and i would think as a parent that even though this god-awful thing has happened, it's got to give you some kind of confidence that at least when you send your children to school that there are teachers who are going to do everything they possibly can to take care of your children because the stories that come out of sandy hook, i think that's more than anything. more than an image, it's those stories of the teachers doing everything they can that really stick with me, chris.

>> you know, also -- i'm sure this is your experience, too, as i've been talking to members of this community, people sit back and watch this and they grieve and people cry and feel this very deeply and they wonder, you know, what can they do, and there is a true awareness here that people everywhere all across this country and even internationally care about them, are trying in their way to reach out to them, are praying for them. there is an awareness of that. >> oh, absolutely. and they see this. they see this in the media that has come here. i mean there is literally media from all over the world who are asking people to explain to them how does something like this happen here. they know that. they turn on their televisions and they can't escape it, whether, you know, they're watching their local news or network news or cable news. they have a very strong feeling that they have the country's support, that they have the world's support. yet for all of that, that's not going to bring back the six

women who died in that school or the 20 children. there is a huge hole in this community that has been left by the lives that were taken and then also the sense of safety and security that was absolutely shattered here. >> and at some point we will pack up our gear and move on to the next story and americans will move on with their lives and that is what they are still left with, and you just hope that somehow the support that has come to them is sustaining in some way. >> well, i think about it. i mean for the last six weeks we've all been focused the victims of superstorm sandy. that's where all of our attention has been until friday. and then suddenly we're here and we will pay a lot of attention to this. but they're also going to need us to leave. they need to heal. they need to heal in private. and you saw that today at the church services. i mean they have -- these churches have been open 24 hours, almost all of them, since the shooting happened, and the

pastors, the monsignors, the rabbis have been very, very welcoming, but they knew today, this was the day that the people just needed to be out of the spotlight and to pray in private because they need to start healing. and that healing is hard to do in front of cameras. >> anne thompson, thank you so much for your great reporting and your sensitivity and for being with us tonight. >> reporter: thanks, chris. >> we're still awaiting the start of the prayer vigil. it was scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m., but we know the president is taking a lot of care and time with the families and the first responders. we will continue to remember the victims of this unspeakable tragedy, including 6-year-old olivia engel described as wiggly with an infectious laugh. she was going to play the part of an angel in her church's nativity play on friday night. we'll be right back.

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the focus tonight is on the victims, and just a little while ago, the family of another victim, 6-year-old jessica rekos released the following statement. jessica loved everything about horses. she devoted her free time to watching horse movies, reading horse books, drawing horses, and writing stories about horses. we had promised her she could have her very own horse when she turned 10. she asked santa for new cowgill boots and a cowgirl hat. she was a creative little girl who loved playing with her brothers travis and shane. she spent time writing in her journals, making up stories, and doing research on orca whales,

one of her passions after seeing the movies free willie last year. thankfully her dream was realized in october when she went to seaworld. jessica was our first born. she was started our family and she was our rock. she had an answer for everything. she didn't miss a trick and she outsmarted us every time. we called her our little ceo for the way she carefully thought out and planned everything. we cannot imagine our life without her. we are mourning her loss, sharing our beautiful memories we have of her and trying to help her brother travis understand why he can't play with his best friend. we are devastated, and our hearts are with the other families who are grieving as we are. joining me now is pastor parker reardon with the newtown bible church. just listening to that your heart breaks. what can anyone say to a parent who is feeling a loss this deep? >> well, what i told the folks

that were with us this morning is i oftened them hope that their children are in heaven with the lord with absolute assurance. >> there is so much that is difficultheaven with the lord w absolute assurance. >> there is so much that is difficutheir children are in he with the lord with absolute assurance. >> there is so much that is difficult to understand. even if we do, we never can find a motive for how someone could do this to classrooms full of little kids. what do you say to people whose faith is challenged, who have these doubts? >> well, it's not quite as surprising that such acts happen because that is the sinfulness of man's heart. it is not an inherent goodness but an inherent wickedness and that's why people like this would do such a dreadful act. >> what would you like to hear from the president tonight? he is sadly going to have to do

what he did before. >> i wish he would focus more on the issue not being guns but an issue of the heart of man. >> what do you mean by that? >> that is what would compel people like murderers to commit acts like what happened on friday. >> how is your community dealing with this and what have you seen in terms of the coming together of this community? >> well, it's not just been the community but as we had spoken earlier, people from all over the nation rallying together, seeing how they could help assist in the healing, the hurt. >> and you've heard from people, not just in this town or in connecticut. >> all over the place. >> what are they telling you? >> they're praying that the gospel go forth as the church seeks to reach out to those who are hurting in our community. >> we are looking now inside what is going on across the street from us at newtown high

school and there is governor dan malloy who is talking to some of the people there. we are told that it is at capacity, 900 people, and another 1,200, 1,300 in the gymnasium overflow. about 60% as far as we've been able to asser tan are adults, which means that 40% of the people in there are children, and some of them have been given by the red cross little dogs, stuffed dogs to take in there with them. how can children feel safe again, do you think? what can parents do to hold them close? >> well, friday after i heard the events, i ran home to put a suit on for our prayer vigil and hug my kids and show my love for them. >> i'm sure there are parents all across the country feeling that as well. well, pastor, it's good of you to come in and talk with us again tonight.

>> my privilege. >> thank you so much and the best to you and your community. >> thank you. >> it's a role that all presidents take on in times of tragedy and a role that we've cede president obama is all too familiar with, consoler in chief. today marks the fourth time that the president has led the nation in mourning and comforted victims' families following a deadly mass shooting. his last trip was to aurora, colorado, just this past summer after a gunman shot up a movie theater, killing 12 and wounding dozens more. the president met private will i wi with victims then and met with survivors. sharing hugs and listening to stories of here ohhism as well as the stories of those we lost. >> i come to them not so much as president as i do as a father and as a husband, and i think that the reason stories like this have such an impact on us is because we can all understand

what it would be to have somebody that we love taken from us in this fashion. >> and when we come back, we will speak with one of the victims of the shooting in arohr a as we await the start of the interfaith prayer vigil here in newtown, connecticut. you're watching continuing coverage on msnbc.

somebody that we love taken from

interfaith prayer vigil here in

heartbreaking to see so many people coming together in this way and the hugs and the tears and about four out of every ten people inside that auditorium are said to be children. many of them went to the same school where this tragedy happened just a couple of days ago, and this community is still trying to come to terms with it. joining me now is steven barden. he is a survivor of the shooting in aurora, colorado. steven, thank you so much.

what are the chances? you live literally just down the road from here, right? >> i never in a million years thought gun violence would affect the community i grew up in. >> unbelievable. let's talk a little bit about what you thought and what you felt when you heard about what happened here. >> i mean at first i heard the preliminary reports that maybe one, one or two people have been killed, and then all of a sudden i heard it was 25, 26, 27, and i, frankly, couldn't believe it. i don't think i could believe it now despite the fact that we're sitting here. it's just -- i can't imagine this happening. >> you have sadly a unique perspective what it is like to be in the middle of something so horrific. can you even put into words what it is like? >> it's -- it's really hard to understand. it's something i'm still trying to come to terms with and that i'm sure the people who have

been affected in this shooting will take a long time to come to terms with. it's just -- it defies belief. >> you have -- you have -- they're applauding now for the first responders who are coming into that auditorium. you were injured. you were shot in the face and the neck, so i have to ask how you're doing. >> doing surprisingly well all things considered. >> so that's the physical part of it. the emotional part of it is something quite different and one of the things that struck me so profoundly when i was in aurora was that i met with many of the same people who i had interviewed during the columbine shootings, and you understand it can be years, and you still feel that pain. how are you doing emotionally. what has it meant for all of this to be happening now here? >> it certainly raised some ugly memories. just as i did right after the shooting, i now really have a

strong support system with my friends and my family. that makes it so much easier that and you've also become something of an activist. >> that's right. >> gun control is your issue. >> i work for mayors for illegal guns which is co-founded by mayor bloomfield of boston. we've been demanding a plan of president obama that our elected leaders finally discuss this issue in a constructive way and a valuable way. >> every life that has been lost in a mass shooting has been valuable. we have grieved every one of them, and yet there is something so profoundly painful of those little children in the cla classroom. >> of course. >> will that help change the conversation? i certainly hope so. i'd like to think i don't live in a country where 20 children

were killed and we dound talk about the instrument that killed them. it's mental health but the issue of guns. they're tintertwined. >> you were not able to go to the meeting when president obama spoke because you were in the hospital. he's clearly not going to talk about policy. but are there words that can help or that helped you? >> i mean just having, you know, his promise that he'll do something to prevent these sorts of incidents from happening in the future. i mean it's one thing to talk about this but it's a completely other thing to act on it. and so i'll be watching. i know the rest of america will be watching and waiting for his response. >> it's always tricky to try to give advice to people, especially in a situation as horrific as this and the one you went through, but are there ways

that -- are there things that happened? you talked about a support system -- that have helped you to begin the healing process? >> i mean to be honest, i think talking about this issue and getting involved with gun violence prevention has been empowering for me and it's helped me tourn to what was essentially a senseless act into something that has more meaning. so not even, you know, gets to that place where they can start talking about this issue, but i mean ultimately i really encourage the people of sandy hook and newtown to reach out to each other and to love each other and support each other. >> have you been feeling that? have you been sensing that in this community? >> absolutely. i mean i was at the memorial last night at 11:30, and there were tons of people there and just talking and just supporting each other. and it's frankly been very inspiring to see this community come together. >> it's amazing. there have been so many services, so many memorials,

churches have opened their doors, every one of this packed, overflowing, so many offers of help. >> yeah. it's -- you know, what struck me most about aurora is not what happened in the theater but the positive outpouring of support that followed it. you know. it was the worst moment of my life, but, you know, it's turned into something that's been really positive and that's thanks to strangers who have reached out to me. >> stephen barton, thanks so much for taking the time. >> thank you. >> and good luck as you continue on this journey. >> thank you. >> we're looking inside the auditorium. we're expecting the president shortly. we've said it many times, the fourth time sadly, including aurora, that he's had to address a crowd like this, and it is a huge crowd. this was a very specific audience. these are the families of the victims, people who are affiliated with the school system here and not only in that

auditorium but also an overflow crowd who are next door. and right now i want to bring in hartfo hartford current reporter jenny. i'm sorry. the last several hours we have seen them in there. such a small community, and everywhere we looked as people were coming in, they knew each other and were hugging each other and were speaking with each other. jenny, thank you for coming back. we spoke last night about how this community is coping. but you had a chance to talk to some people as they were heading in. what did they tell you? >> all of them were saying that they're just here to show support for the victims, you know. nobody is here to see the president. nobody is here to get to say that they met obama. everybody is here to come together as a community all in one place to show support for the families.

>> i found it to be so moving to hear about the red cross handing out little dogs inside the lobby and so many children who are -- they're coming in as families. >> there really are a lot of children here. that's true in the town as well. you know, at all the memorials and makeshift shrines that have been set up. there are kids writing notes, kids lighting candles, kids leaving teddy bears. it's their peers. it's their peers who were affected. >> you realize this happened to them. this happened in their school. this happened to their friends. or this happened in the school where they went last year. >> it really did. that means that they're going to have to be the ones that unfortunately at an age way too young to ever imagine having do that, they're going to be the ones who will have to move on and learn to cope and learn how to grieve but also carry on with their lives and come together, and i think that that's

something that the community recognizes and everybody's obviously thinking about the children. >> you have been here ever since the very beginning right after this tragedy occurred. tell me about how you spent your day, some of the things you saw and experienced and perhaps the things that moved you. >> i didn't get here until a little bit later in the day and when i first got here, it was after the church had been evacuated, so make a couple of hours after. so i went up to see what the deal was there, just to see if anything was going on. >> we should say that the catholic church, there was a threat and they did evacuate during the noon mass today. >> during the noon masthay evacuated everyone. again, something difficult to deal with with a town coping with tragedy. anyway, so while i was standing there i saw this young man coming out and i said, oh, what's going on? is the church back open. and he said, no, it's not open. i said, oh, why were you in there. he said, oh, i just went down

there to see if there could be someplace i could cry and so then he walked away. i don't know if he was directly related or a member of the community. but that really showed me how much everybody is feeling this and how much everyone is affected by it. >> jenny, stand by. i just want to give people a little idea of what we're going to see here. gathering music played by fiona smith sutherland. she is the musical minister. this was organized by so many churches and the sin gong here and we'll hear from many of the ministers as well as the rabbi. many of them over the last three days have not just been spending time with their congregations and holding services and holding hands, but they have also been planning funerals as well. there will be several scripture readings in the course of this

service, which is expected to last about 90 minutes. a number of different readings and prayers. there will be some moments of silence. and the remarks will be from the first selectwoman here, patricia llodra. she is the equivalent of the mayor in newtown. the governor dannel malloy will be here as well. he has really been in this community almost nonstop it seems over the last two and a half days since this happened, and then the remarks by president obama that we have been told he has written largely himself, and then a closing prayer by reverend bob weiss, the monsignor of st. rose of lima catholic church where you were saying, jenny, they had the evacuation. they call him father bob there and he will be burying nine

members of his paetsch including many children. it's going to be difficult to fact only what it will be like with this community and 26 funerals. >> it is. 26 funerals and mostly children's funerals. so you not only have parents burying children but grandparents burying their grandchildren. >> and little brothers and sisters. >> yeah, that's very true as well. we spoke last night about emilie parker's family. i think i said last night she has two younger siblings who looked up to her so much and probably don't know what a funeral is and now will be burying their older sister. >> and a little boy noah who had a twin sister and an older sister and they all played together all the time and considered each other their best friends. as you look at this picture, jenny, and you see all of these faces, talk a little bit about what people should know about

this community and about these people because you live nearby here. >> i do live nearby here, and, you know, i think i would answer that question about telling the story about the last time i was at this community, which was during the campaign season. and one elizabeth esty who is going to be the congresswoman come january 1st was out here for a campaign event and everybody knew each other, kids were laughing, playing, running through the streets smiling. it was clear that they were just so close knit and care about each other so much and do feel such a strong sense of community. you know, i think that's evident in a lot of things. i mean you walk through the main stretch of town and subway is the only chain there. other than that it's sandy hook deli, sandy hook diner. so that shows a lot. and then the way they've reacted to this. everybody you've talked to isn't talking about their own sadness. they're saying we want to do anything we can to help each other. and i think that's the mark of

the community right there. >> well, we also talked about this last night. the father of a little girl coming out and reaching out to the family of the shooter. >> exactly. and that's a perfect example. he reached out to the family of the shooter directly and said, i can't imagine the pain you're going through when most people are sitting there not being able to imagine the pain he's going through. not only that he ended his remarks by saying if there's anything i can do, if there's anything that i can do to help anybody get through this, i hope they reach out to me because i'm so willing, and that's what you would expect people to be saying to him, not him to be saying to others. >> we live in a social media age and an internet age and you've been so busy reporting i don't know if you've about had an opportunity to see some of the comments that have been coming in to the "hartford courant" or if you can begin to sort of

summarize some of the reaction you've been getting to this story and this experience. >> yeah. you know, i have not been in the newsroom a lot. i have been tweeting a lot on the go. so people have been reacting to the things i say, and, you know, the other thing i tweeted a picture of a car that said kwrks r.i.p. -- or rest in peace, little angels." i tweeted it out. people retweeted it, saying love this, i thinking of everyone at sandy hook. >> it's amazing wherever you go, hand-made signs, memorial. we saw an extraordinary -- when you come off the highway, someone had a huge truck and they had an enormous american flag and they were laying out a place where people could come. it's almost like there aren't enough places that that i c-- they can put memorials. >> very much so.

that's the big difference between yesterday and today. it's given them time to really build up all these memorials. >> there are a lot of people who are in that room who are known across this country, especially in the world of politics in addition to the president. he traveled on the plain with senior adviser david plouffe, with senior adviser valerie jarrett, the press secretary jay carnie is with him, members of the connecticut congressional delegation, congresswoman rosa delauro and congressman john larson. it is the president who for now well over an hour and a half since he arrived, we believe, has been meeting privately with the families of the victims of the tragic shooting, meeting with the first responders. the more stories that come oust this, jenny, about how people have reacted, the heroism, the complete lack of selffishnessse

the complete compassion for the community is so moving. >> it is. it's almost to the point of being unbelievable. the fact that in the school, you know, the teacherers lunging at the shooter who was obviously fully armed, just to maybe save a few bullets that might be going toward children, and the teacher that sort of held the door closed while he banged on it, keeping the children out, that's -- or keeping the children in and he eventually moved on somewhere else. so think that all the little stories that we're hearing really do show how heroic everybody was. >> we were expecting this to start about 45 minutes ago. it's similar to the delay we saw in aurora, colorado, that the president, though given a schedule said i am going to take as much time as i feel these families need. and i've seen it on so many

occasions already over the last couple of days that people just need to hug. people need to cry. people need to talk. and people want the stories of their loved ones to be known, and they're starting to come out. family members are starting to come out. >> that's very true. and even the family members that aren't ready to talk about it themselves maybe are designating friends or other family members. maybe not immediate family members to tell these stories for them because it is such a sensitive issue, but they do -- they do want their loved ones to be remembered. so they want -- you know, if it was a story of heroism, they want to be made known. >> and for all the little children and the simplicity of their lives that, you know, one of them is funny and the little girl who loved horses and one

who loved art and would always draw pictures or make a card if she thought someone was feeling bad. it's almost unfathomable to think of what was lost, the futures that were lost, the opportunities that were lost and the families that have been shattered. >> mm-hmm. it really is. you know, i was just -- somebody in line i was talking to. he's a good friend of jimmy green whose daughter died in the shooting and he said mr. green is such a fantastic musician and he said his daughter anna was the exact same way and that, you know, she used to play music at their house and sing with her older brother and that's just one example of, you know, all this talent that was lost at such an early age. >> and tomorrow in this community there will be three funerals of 6-year-old jack

pinto, of noah pozner. his uncle described him as as smartd as a whip with a ram bunk us to. and he had a twin sister assigned to a different classroom. jessica rekos will be put to rest as well. show was the one who loved everything about horses and asked santa for new coy cowgirl boots and a hat. in this community there will be no more little cowgirls or coyboys and for many of them there will be christmas presents under the tree that will never be opened. before i let you go, jenny, are there some thoughts you want people to know who are out there watching and trying to understand what's happened here? >> i think -- i mean in terms of understanding what's happened here, you know, there are a lot

of -- everyone's saying there are a lot of questions still unanswered, it's hard to wrap your head around. so think as details come out, that will come. i mean i think just realized that no -- no support goes unnoticed. you know. emilie parker's father was saying the fact that airline agencies were breaking the rules and bending over backward to get his family members in on time. there quickly was so appreciated. so i think that the community wants everyone to know they appreciate all the support even though they can't necessarily say so right away. >> jenny wilson from the "hartford courant," thank you so much. the president of the united states coming into the newtown high school. you see to his right dan malloy the governor, and we will take you live in its entirety to this

memorial. on behalf of the newtown interfact clergy association i welcome all of you. we needed this. we needed to be together here in this room in the gymnasium, outside the doors of this school, in living rooms around the world. we needed to be together. to show that we are together. and united. we gather in such a moment of heartbreak for all of us here in newtown. we gather especially mindful of family and friends and neighbors

among us who have lost loved ones by an act of unfathomable violence and destruction. we gather to grieve together, to care for one another, pray and embrace, to weep and to remember and to declare in our many voices that these darkest days of our community shall not be the final word heard from us. we will sigh in our sorrows but we will also care for one another with our love and our compassion. in those early hours of this crisis, it became clear to we clergy and faith leaders here in newtown that an initial community response would be needed, that we would need to come together. and so we asked our first

select-woman and our superintendent if it might be possible for us clergy to invite the commune to the gather here at newtown high school to continue and to begin and to continue what will be for many a long journey through grief and loss. we are not here to ignore our differences or diminish the core beliefs which define our many different faith traditions but to offer our love, care and prayers for our families and our community. we wanted to offer our voices in the form of words from our sacred texts and prayers from the depths of our being but also to have time for us to be together in silence and that is what we will do. we will have a time for sharing and prayer and also a time for silence in between, so that all

of us can pray as we wish and think about what it is that is most important to us. now there's a reason why all of the clergy are sitting down there and not up here. and we hope you don't get tired of seeing us have a long walk up to this podium. but we wanted to be -- to have a symbolic gesture that we ourselves are with you and among you in these coming days. that we are all in this together. we want you to know that our care for this community extends beyond the walls of our various houses of worship and the people within them. we are here for all of newtown. that means that you who are of st. rose catholic church in the

midst of your tremendous grief, there is a jewish rabbi with a torah in hand, ready to speak words of comfort and do whatever he can to uphold you in the coming days. and temple adath israel, you have the service of a japanese american united methodist minister ready to pray with you and share songs from john wesley. we congregation list uccers, pentecostals willing to pray with episcopalians. and offering jesus christ to independent christians and to others and all of us willing to offer and receive comfort and support from those of no faith. you see, now more than ever we need each other for we are all in this together.

that's why we even had our politicians sit down there as well. a sign and symbol and reminder to all of us that we are in this together. so now let us come together, let us pray. let us listen and let us seek the comfort of our various faiths, drawing from words and prayers. fear not for i am with you, be not dismayed for i am your god. i will strengthen you. i will uphold you with my victorious hand. god is with us. god's love unites us. god's purpose steadies us. god's spirit comforts us.

bless be our god forever and ever, amen.

>> i offer you this prayer from my heart to your hearts. on behalf of all of your children, all of your loved ones. the hebrew memorial prayer. please rise. ♪

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♪ >> oh, god exalted and full of expansion grant perfect peace in your sheltering presence among the holy and the pure to the souls of all of our loved ones that perished in that horrible day. they have gone to their eternal ho home, master of mercy, we be siege you, remember all of their worthy and righteous deeds that they performed in the land of the living, may their souls be bound up in the bond of life eternal. th